Gaming trivia buffs know that the title “Final Fantasy” didn’t originate from a random pairing of English words; this genre-defining classic came into being as an all-or-nothing, last-ditch effort from developer Hironobu Sakaguchi to save his ailing company — and would ultimately go on to have far more longevity than its title would indicate. The famed Square developer hasn’t been as fortunate with his recent Mistwalker studio, though, as both Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey clung a bit too closely to his comfort zone, which certainly didn’t help the ailing reputation of Japanese-developed RPGs in the West.
That said, The Last Story’s title isn’t meant to simply reference its creator’s legendary roots; after all, this could be Sakaguchi’s final chance to prove his RPG-development chops after nearly six years of floundering for a successful franchise. Those skeptical of Mistwalker’s output should be happy to hear that Sakaguchi has taken a surprising new tack with The Last Story; his new RPG streamlines the typically slow-paced action even more than Xenoblade, resulting in a refreshing experience with a striking emphasis on immediacy.
